by Joanne Rock
When he set her in the center of the puffy duvet, she unclasped her bra and tossed it aside while he unfastened his belt. His pants. Anticipation coiled inside her until one long, hot look from Gage threatened to send pleasure boiling over.
He hooked a finger in the silk of her thong and drew the fabric slowly down her legs. When they were naked at last, he was about to roll a condom into place when she nudged his hand aside to take over the task. He shuddered with her touch before he stretched out above her.
Breathless, needy, she skated caresses along his arms and chest until he anchored her thigh against his hip and entered her. The shock of sensation buried deep inside her was both sharp and sweet. She held herself still, waiting, adjusting, her fingers twisted in the duvet cover.
When he began to move again, she knew she wouldn’t last long. Her gaze shifted to his and she found him looking at her intensely, with a tangle of emotions that confused her as much as her own. Closing her eyes again, she refocused on the physical sensations, feelings that made sense to her.
Gage leaned over her, whispering sweet words in her ear before he fastened a kiss on one taut nipple, drawing on the peak. Elena gasped, her hips bucking.
He drove deeper. Faster. And she was lost.
Her release rolled through her, burning away everything but the sweet fulfillment that came with it. She clung to Gage, hands on his shoulders, moving with him until he couldn’t hold back any longer. He came with her, his back arching and his legs tensing. She held him tighter, savoring every moment that was too perfect for words.
When the sensations eased, Gage lay down beside her, wrapping an arm around her and tucking her under the covers. She waited to catch her breath before she moved closer to kiss his shoulder. His chest.
He stroked her hair and she wondered if he was as reluctant as she was to speak. To shatter the bubble of time where they seemed to understand one another. It was an illusion, she knew, a false sensation perpetuated by all the amazing things they could make one another feel.
Wasn’t it?
Not sure she was ready to find out, she tipped her forehead to his chest and felt the beating of his heart instead. Steady. Comforting.
For tonight, she was going to savor that much. The morning was soon enough to wade through the complicated ties that still bound them. She owed him something for turning her life around. It hadn’t happened yet, but she could sense her world shifting, surging with new opportunities that hadn’t been there before, thanks to him introducing her to Chiara.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to come up with a plan. To thank him and leave him to find someone suitable who would make the Striker family proud.
She just wished the thought of walking away didn’t make her chest feel so incredibly hollow inside.
* * *
Leaning back into the buttery leather seat of the Learjet, Gage told himself it was a good thing that Elena had agreed to return to Mesa Falls Ranch so readily.
He’d been concerned that she would prefer to stay in Lake Tahoe for the rest of the week, given her new relationship with Chiara Campagna. No doubt Elena would want to explore the business opportunities that the friendship offered, and he certainly couldn’t blame her for investigating those possibilities. Yet she’d complied with his wish to fly to Montana today.
He turned to watch her use the photo editing software at the workstation near the front of the aircraft. She’d been manipulating images for the last hour, testing fonts with the graphics and different filters. He recognized some of the garments in the shots—clothes she’d discovered in the casino’s boutique or that she’d made herself. There were close-ups of hems and stitches, shoulders and necklines.
To a certain extent, filling her time with work was the norm for Elena Rollins. But Gage couldn’t help but wonder if she was busying herself purposely to avoid talking to him. To avoid whatever was happening between them.
He’d sensed her pulling away somehow last night after an incredible sexual encounter. Or had it been the story about his past he’d shared that had left things feeling uneasy between them?
“How’s it going?” he asked, unfastening his seat belt to join her at the workstation as the plane began its descent.
Glancing up at his approach, she combed her hair from her face as her brown eyes flicked over him. Memories of her dark hair sliding along his bare skin threatened to derail all his good intentions.
“I’m putting together an inspiration board that can double as creative content on my blog.” She leaned back in her chair, her red-tipped fingernail tapping against the mouse, as he took the seat closest to her. “Now that I won’t be selling scandalous news bits to the tabloids, the pressure is on to ensure I can leverage a new revenue stream.”
“If you need financial backing, Elena, I can give you extremely favorable terms.” He’d barely gotten all the words out when she was already shaking her head.
“Thank you, but no.” Shifting in her seat, her calf brushed his for a moment. Quickly, she repositioned herself to avoid further contact. “Too much potential for conflict of interest.”
He bit back a retort, knowing the defensiveness he felt had more to do with this damnable sensation he had that she was pulling away from him.
Already.
She’d been back in his life for a handful of days, hardly enough time for them to iron out anything from the past, let alone think about what came next. And there hadn’t been nearly enough time for him to enjoy having her back in his bed again.
“You might change your mind about the loan when I tell you I have a big favor to ask of you.” He should have brought it up the night before when he’d told her about Zach. But when she’d given him the chance to leave the conversation behind and lose himself in her beautiful body, he’d been powerless to refuse.
“Gage Striker needs a favor from me?” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “Do tell.”
Frustration knotted in his shoulders.
“I’m not sure why that would surprise you.” He didn’t understand how or why she’d lost herself in her unsuccessful marriage, but he wouldn’t listen to her sell herself short. “You’re a smart, enterprising woman on the verge of an exciting new chapter in your life.”
For a moment, the only sound was the hum of the engine as the pilot throttled back the speed of the aircraft.
“Thank you.” Elena nodded, a single wavy lock slipping in front of her shoulder. Vibrant red cashmere hugged her curves, the V-neck drawing his attention to a silver necklace consisting of her initial beside a diamond-encrusted star. “How can I help?”
“When Desmond called the meeting yesterday, he revealed some startling news about Alonzo’s profits from the tell-all book.” Since he was done doubting her, he shared the truth without hesitation. “The funds have been supporting a thirteen-year-old boy.”
She frowned, sitting up straighter in her seat. “Didn’t you say the accident was fourteen years ago?”
“Yes.” He suspected his friends had all been awake late into the night trying to piece together that particular puzzle, but Gage felt confident the child didn’t belong to Alonzo. DNA testing would prove it soon enough. “And we will continue to investigate that. But since the funds were also financing Alonzo’s humanitarian efforts, we wanted to announce that. We hoped a concrete response to the public interest in the story would put an end to the speculation.”
“And you’re comfortable with only providing half a story?” she asked, crossing her legs in a way that drew his eye to the hem of her black pencil skirt where it grazed her knee.
“I don’t think any of us feel compelled to account for every nickel of the guy’s money.” Gage lifted his attention from her legs, wishing they could have spent this flight in the sleeping suite through the door in the back of the plane. “But I thought I’d give you the right of first refusal for the piece to see if you want to peda
l it to whatever outlet you planned to approach when you first came to Montana to explore the issue.”
How damned ironic that he’d brought her to Tahoe in the hope of making her lose interest in the Salazar story. Now, he needed a way to entice her to stay in Montana long enough to figure out how to keep her in his life.
She nibbled her lip, a hint of pink gloss disappearing as she did so. “It’s not like I’m writing for a venue winning journalism awards,” she admitted drily. “I’ll do it, but with the understanding that I’ll donate my payment to one of Alonzo’s humanitarian organizations.”
“You would do that?” He hadn’t anticipated her generosity, especially when she would need financing to start her next business.
He knew she’d arrived in Mesa Falls with precious little to her name, although perhaps his retrieval of her personal effects from her former home would make things easier for her.
“I won’t allow any of your friends to think I was trying to make a buck off a—” her eyes lowered for a moment “—from the hard times you’ve all been through.”
The reminder of Zach always nudged a dark, painful place inside him. Yet somehow, sharing the story with Elena and having her understanding eased a layer of the pain this time.
“Very well. You have my thanks. Our thinking was to offer you the scoop a few hours before we share the details publicly at a party similar to the one that brought you into my home in the first place.” He had already sent a memo to the ranch’s public relations director. Plans were in place to drop hints that an announcement was forthcoming, ensuring the event was well covered in the media. “We’re coordinating a party for next Saturday.”
That was over a week away. If he could convince her to stay on at the ranch for that long, Gage hoped it would be enough time to move past whatever barriers Elena was putting up between them.
The aircraft shifted slightly as the landing gear came out with a soft thud that vibrated through his feet. The movement sent her hand darting out to steady herself, her fingers landing on his forearm. The crackle of awareness was there for her, too. He saw it in her eyes before she pulled away.
“Okay.” Elena shut her laptop and unplugged the cord, packing up her things for their arrival. “I can use the next week to brainstorm my business plan with Chiara, but I’ll remain in Mesa Falls through the party as a way to thank you for the help you’ve given me this week.”
A kind offer, but not at all what he wanted from her.
Gage considered his next move, not wanting to scare her off if she was already planning her life after their affair. He would simply use their remaining time together to remind her how good life could be at his side. For today, he would be grateful for the gift of one more week.
“Thank you.” Picking up her hand where it rested on the workstation, he brushed a kiss across the knuckles, inhaling the orange blossom scent of her skin. “I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to having you under my roof until then, Elena. I plan to make the most of every day.”
* * *
A week later, Elena walked through a fashion studio in New York’s Garment District, perusing a breakout Italian designer’s new collection for a venerable French fashion house with Astrid and Chiara at her side.
Sample sizes of all the clothes shown in Paris last week hung neatly on rolling racks outlining the big, open space where natural light slanted through huge windows. It was a dream girls’ trip, helpfully orchestrated by Gage in his quest to remind her of the perks of continuing their affair. Her stomach knotted at the thought of how much his thoughtfulness swayed her.
But for all the things he’d offered her, never once had he suggested he loved her. Better to enjoy this last hurrah with her friends before she returned to a more down-to-earth life on the West Coast. Alone.
“I can’t believe you got us in here, Chiara.” Elena sighed wistfully, sliding one hanger farther down the rack to take a better look at a pair of crepe de chine pants with a sexy silhouette that hugged the hips and billowed into a tulle puff midway down the calf. “Let alone that we have a private showing.”
Nearby, Astrid squealed over a cashmere sweater dress with cutouts around the waist.
Chiara stood at one of the long windows, gazing down at West Thirty-Eighth Street. “Frankly, it was tougher getting you two to join me than it was to convince Noemi’s assistant to let us in here for the day.” Chiara fixed Elena with a sidelong stare, her perfectly drawn cat-eye makeup enhancing the sage green of her eyes. “Astrid gets a pass as a new mom, but I’m surprised I had to twist your arm, Elena, when Noemi is actively interested in seeing your drawings.”
The invitation from the fashion luminary was both exciting and a little scary, but Elena couldn’t pretend fear had anything to do with her reservations about making the trip to New York for the afternoon. She shifted the crepe pants to her left, fingers walking down the remaining hangers on the rolling rack.
“It isn’t that I didn’t want to be here,” she admitted. “But I sense my time is drawing to a close in Mesa Falls and I hesitated to miss a single day with Gage.”
The days were fun. The nights were hot enough to fuel a lifetime of sensual fantasies. But she’d indulged that kind of surface relationship with Gage before and knew it wouldn’t be enough to keep them together long-term. It had been a careful balance this week to protect her heart and still savor the fun of being with him. She knew even before they’d returned to Mesa Falls that she wanted more from him.
And she felt deserving of more after selling herself short for too long—both with Gage and in the ill-fated marriage that came afterward.
Astrid tugged a silk skirt from the rack, the handkerchief hem floating gracefully around her ankles as she held the garment to her waist. “Gage loves you,” she informed Elena matter-of-factly. “I’m not sure if he realizes it or not. But I’ve never seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you.”
The comment felt like a hit to her solar plexus, robbing her of breath for a moment and making her see stars behind her eyes as if she was oxygen deprived. Of course, Astrid was only guessing. She couldn’t know Gage’s feelings any better than Elena did. Blinking rapidly, she moved to the next rolling rack with new determination to find an outfit for the party the ranch’s publicity department had put together for the following evening. It wasn’t a gala or a fund-raiser, just a private house party with a DJ and a select guest list including a handful of Hollywood celebrities, world-class athletes, a Formula One race car driver and a couple of heavyweights from the music industry.
All of whom sounded like safer candidates for her affection than the man who’d already broken her heart once, no matter what Astrid believed about the way Gage looked at her.
“Gage and I have had a long and complicated relationship,” Elena explained, unwilling to get drawn into those old feelings for him even though they’d resurfaced at an alarming speed during her time with Gage. “But whatever he might feel for me comes second to his loyalty to his family.”
Astrid peered up at her curiously, settling an embroidered denim romper back on the rack. “Jonah once called Nigel Striker a judgmental asshat. I remember because Jonah gets along with almost everyone.”
A sad smile pulled at Elena’s lips. Chiara returned to the rolling rack, her hand moving unerringly to a turquoise-and-green sari-inspired dress. She held it up for their inspection, a light-as-air coordinating scarf fluttering where it wrapped around the hanger.
“This is you,” Chiara announced. “It’s a gown to slay in, and exactly what you need to wear to the house party.”
Elena moved closer, drawn by the featherweight of the layers printed with swirls of blue and deep purple. The sheer fabric around the shoulders and the effect of the scarf made her think of a butterfly.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, running her hand down the fabric. “The question is, will it be a gown to usher in a new
chapter or end one?”
Saying goodbye to Gage wouldn’t be easy, but she would fulfill her promise to share the story the ranch owners wanted to spread about Alonzo. After that, she had nothing tying her to Montana. Gage might romance her, but that didn’t mean he loved her enough to break with his family to be with her. Nigel Striker had already proved he’d stop at nothing to ensure she stayed far from his son.
“Maybe the party will be a little of both,” Chiara informed her, giving her a level look. “But that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with walking away from what isn’t working so you can move on to new opportunities.”
Of course, she was correct. But crazy as it might be, Elena held out a sliver of hope that maybe things would be different this time. Gage had shared a deeply held secret with her. He’d given her a level of trust he’d never bestowed on anyone else. It had to count for something.
Because whether or not Astrid was correct about Gage’s feelings for Elena, Elena knew without a doubt about her own emotions where he was concerned. Based on the deep fear in her gut about leaving him after the party, she understood that she’d passed the point of no return.
Somehow, she’d fallen for Gage for a second time.
Twelve
Finishing his meeting with the interior decorator he’d hired as a surprise for Elena, Gage checked in with the contractors who were already tearing out a media room in his home to remake the space into a work studio for her. The construction was moving quickly, and he appreciated the accelerated timetable since he wanted to unveil the new suite to her tonight after the party. She’d known the contractors were on-site at his house all week, but he’d told her they were installing a tasting room in another wing, forestalling more questions about his secret project.
He’d wined and dined Elena all week, hoping to convince her to continue their affair even after she left Montana. When he’d encouraged her to visit New York City with her friends, he’d used the time to take estimates from a handful of highly recommended decorators, finally choosing the guy who’d flown in for today’s meeting.
